Taking Time for Gratitude

Holiday seasons carry different meanings in different phases of life. For young children, the thought of holidays might have you excited to make a Christmas list. If you’re in your 20s, maybe it means exciting travel plans with friends. If you have kids, maybe it’s getting to spend extra moments with your kids. Older generations might enjoy the excitement of hosting their family and friends for large gatherings. Whichever stage of life you’re in, the holiday season can bring a lot of emotions with it. For me, holidays are a chance to slow down and spend time with family and friends that we don’t get to see nearly often enough. Many times, we pride ourselves on our busy schedules which leave us too busy checking emails or social media to reflect and be thankful. In times where I’ve felt the most overwhelmed, exhausted, and anxious about future events (many of which never happened) I generally found that I was spending too much time focused on external factors and not enough time finding gratitude for what’s in front of me in the present. This writing is a reflection of what I feel thankful for this year and where I find value in the practice of gratitude. 

Gratitude : the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Health

It might seem obvious that a blog focused on strength training prioritize health, but this is a different approach to the gift of health. Health is something that many of us take for granted because we’re at an age where we expect to have health. What happens when our clean bill of health is taken from us in a moment? Then health is the only thing we want. You can’t buy health and nothing guarantees it, but we can work daily to protect our health. Watching family members age and friends lose their health over the last few years has made me appreciate the miracle of health. It’s not something I will take for granted and I feel immense gratitude every day I can move my body. 

Marriage

My wife, Claire has made me a better person in every way. At the time we got married, I didn’t understand the impact your spouse has on the trajectory of your life. Almost ten years later, that impact is amazing to me. To have someone be your biggest supporter, listen to your ideas and dreams, and also challenge your blind spots or fixed thoughts is an amazing catalyst for long term growth. 

Community 

The people we are surrounded by at Showtime each day is beyond what I ever imagined when opening. For me, the gym has always been one of my main places. For most people these places are 1- Home 2- Work 3- Church or other community. Everyday when the alarm clock hits 4am I jump out of bed with excitement and purpose because of the people in our community. A gym by itself is just weights in a building. The people inside the building are what makes it special. 

Layne

Having a kid helped to remind me to laugh and not take everything too serious. It’s hard to be super serious when you’re in a meeting and look down to see yogurt stains on your shirt that you didn’t realize had been there. He serves as a reminder that sometimes all we need is a hug or a good laugh to make a situation better. Stepping on toys is now a moment of laughter and relief. 

Faith

Having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. There have been times in my life where I thought nothing was going to work out in any way. The shred of faith that hung on was what helped me to try one more time. Faith has been a driver in most of my decisions even when I didn’t realize it. 

This year during the holidays, use some of the time to practice gratitude. It only takes a few minutes for us to see how much good we truly have in all of our lives. This can bring a sense of appreciation, relief, and excitement for what’s next. Your tv and social media might have you believing the world is falling apart, but the truth is when we examine what matters most in our personal world, most of us are pretty lucky and have many things we can express gratitude towards. 

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